


The Little Freakshow

by Tigerlily_Wildflower



Series: Dimitri's Story [1]
Category: Original Work, Vampire: The Masquerade
Genre: Angst, Backstory, Death of a loved one, Gen, Lasombra, OC backstory, Some profanity, Vampire Hunters, Ventrue, lots and lots of angst, malkavian - Freeform, mentions of abuse, proud of this abomination, putting a trigger warning just in case
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:15:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 5,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25794991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tigerlily_Wildflower/pseuds/Tigerlily_Wildflower
Summary: This is the tale of how Dimitri came to meet Maria and Alicia for the first timeThis is the prequel to A Malkavian Salvation
Series: Dimitri's Story [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1874719





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Nacht Family (Dimitri, Collin, and Raven) are the only characters that belong to me. All other characters mentioned belong to IndigoStars ASMR. In A Malkavian Salvation, I briefly mentioned Dimitri’s past in chapter fifteen, when I had written from Maria’s point of view. I decided that it was only fair that I wrote the whole story.

Many people have asked me what I was like as a child, or what my childhood was like. I never cared to tell other people about my tragic past since they would usually pity me afterward. I _hate_ being pitied because what they imagine I went through never comes close to the truth. I’ve been through hell and survived. I don’t know where I’d be today if my past had been somewhat normal or peaceful. I’m tired of avoiding the subject, so allow me to shed some light on what my past was like.


	2. Chapter 2

**Dimitri’s P.O.V**

I don’t remember much about my early childhood, though I do remember my mother and father loved me very much. My mother was Raven Rose Nacht, named for her black hair and my father was Collin Finch Nacht. He was the most renown vampire hunters not only in the mortal world but in the World of Darkness as well. He was known for hunting down Sabbat packs with his patrol group. But I was your typical infant. There was, for a time, nothing special about me.

My childhood home was a one-story brick house. There was the family room, the kitchen, my room, my parents’ room, and Father’s office, where he kept all his documents on vampirekind. My room was cozy, with its gray walls and its small window. A large, wooden bookshelf stood against the wall next to my small bed. I had a small wooden basket lined with green and white gingham cloth which held my few plushies.

I vividly remember the stories I was told as a child. I was read all kinds of fairy tales! My personal favorite was the Dutch tale of the Elves and Their Antics. I was even read some stories from Greek and Norse mythology. I always enjoyed hearing the tales of Loki, the god of mischief. Life was great.

But that all changed after my 2nd birthday.


	3. Chapter 3

**Dimitri’s P.O.V**

About a month after my 2nd birthday, my eyes had just finished changing colors. I was getting dressed and when I looked in the mirror, the change shocked me. My left eye had deepened from a light blue to an almost sapphire color. My right eye had gone from light blue to coal-black. My mother took one look at me and her jaw dropped. My father, on the other hand, was very excited about my anomaly. She insisted that we go to the doctor to make sure that I was alright. My father agreed, even though he knew I was perfectly fine. I don’t remember the visit to the doctor. But I do remember what happened when we got home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Dimitri’s P.O.V**

About a month after my 2nd birthday, my eyes had just finished changing colors. I was getting dressed and when I looked in the mirror, the change shocked me. My left eye had deepened from a light blue to an almost sapphire color. My right eye had gone from light blue to coal-black. My mother took one look at me and her jaw dropped. My father, on the other hand, was very excited about my anomaly. She insisted that we go to the doctor to make sure that I was alright. My father agreed, even though he knew I was perfectly fine. I don’t remember the visit to the doctor. But I do remember what happened when we got home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Dimitri’s POV**

As the year went on, the abuse worsened. My father got involved too, but it was only ever verbal. His sole purpose for doing so was to protect himself from the same wrath from my mother that I was being exposed to. I knew that as a kid, and I never let it get to me. My mother, however, was hitting me daily. I almost always had a bruise on my arm or cheek. 

I was rarely allowed to go anywhere. My father would sometimes take me to the graffiti workshop or to the park while my mother was at her job. But our favorite thing to do was go to the Happy Pig Pancake Shop. (Yes, that’s a real place.) It was about a fifteen-minute trek from where we lived, but I didn’t care. The scenery was always beautiful, especially in autumn. I still remember the very last time I went so vividly that, sometimes, I swear I can still taste the pancake. A couple of months passed, and my 3rd birthday came and went. 

About a week later, my father went on his last hunting trip. A scout patrol had found a Sabbat nest, and they needed every hunter that was available. We did the usual routine, with me begging him not to leave me with Raven as he packed his hunting supplies. She was working when he left so she didn’t know about his hunting trip. 

“I’ll be back, I promise,” he reassured me. He hugged me as he said his last goodbye. He _never_ broke his promises.

**But he did that night.**

I was in bed when I awoke to someone knocking on my window. I sleepily peered through the blinds to find Eric, one of the patrolmen from my father’s squad. He also happened to be his best friend. I immediately snapped out of my sleepy daze and opened the window. It was a clear winter night, and I could clearly see the full moon in the inky sky. The cold wind howled as blew into my room, causing my teeth to chatter slightly.

“I’m sorry…I couldn’t save him in time…” he said with glossy eyes. “He wanted you to have this, it was his dying wish.”

I didn’t understand until he held out the necklace that Father always wore, and a note. I realized what Eric meant in that moment and my vision blurred with the threat of tears. I blinked back my tears. I took the necklace from his hand and put it on. I vowed never to take it off unless it was vital that I do so. 

I thanked Eric and shut the window. I knew he was going to go around to the front to tell Raven the bad news, which left me very little time. I quickly opened the note and discovered that it was from Father. It read:

_“Hey Mitri,_

_If you’re reading this, it means I’m dead. I give you permission to go into my study to retrieve my journals. Hide them somewhere your mother will never find them. If you’re kicked out at a young age, then go to tallest skyscraper, you’ll be safe there. I’m sorry for breaking my promise of me coming home. However, I promise I will be watching over you. That is a promise I truly can’t ever break. If you ever see a magpie in the city, then think of that as me checking on you. I’m sure you’ll see me soon._  
 _Love, Father”_  
  
I gently set the note on my bed, tucked the necklace inside my shirt, then pelted to the study. I grabbed as many journals as I could carry. I had to make a second trip because I was unable to carry all thirteen journals at once. I hid them in the same place I kept my art supplies, in the wall. I had found a removable wall panel that hid a small, but wide, space. I had just replaced the wall panel and gotten back into bed when the doorbell rang.


	6. Chapter 6

**Dimitri’s POV**

I woke up the next morning to find that my room was a mess. It hadn’t been that way when I fell asleep. I knew that my mother had been searching for my father’s journals so that she could burn them. But I wouldn’t let her find them. Those journals were precious to me, and they were the last remnants I had of my father.

The hunters had carried the body of my father back to the HQ so that a service could be held. She picked me up and held me in her arms. I didn’t let my shock show. I was grateful because I don’t think I could’ve handled it if she acted the way she usually did. It was the only time Raven was ever kind to me. It was also the last time I’d ever see the outside world for a long while. 

When we got home, she started yelling at me. She blamed me for my father’s death. She said that he committed suicide because he couldn’t deal with the shame of having a deformed child. She degraded me so badly that my self-esteem was in shambles. She hit me so many times that she covered me in bruises from head to toe. I ran to my room, despite the pain, and flopped on my bed. I cried myself to sleep that night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Dimitri’s POV**

I will never forget the day I first met Maria. It was a few weeks after my 5th birthday. My mother had continued to abuse me. At that point, I was basically her human punching bag. If she had a shitty day at work, she took it out on me. I hated the abuse, but I didn’t have anyone I could talk to. I was never allowed to leave the house. This meant that I was always stuck inside, watching the other kids play outside my window, listening to their cheerful laughter. I, however, learned to pass the time by drawing and reading Father’s journals.

The night was cold, and it was raining. The wind was howling, and I knew a thunderstorm was on the way. When Raven came home from work, she was soaked to the bone. She came into my room and told me to leave. I was confused at first, but then it dawned on me that she was kicking me out. She couldn’t take it anymore, and she wanted me out of her sight. I quickly packed my things in Father’s sack and I ran out of the house into the pouring rain.

I could barely see the shadow of the tower which Maria called home through the sheets of rain. I remembered Father telling me to go there if something ever happened to him or Raven. I ran as fast as my small, weak legs through crowds on the busy sidewalks as I made my way towards the tower. When I finally reached the tower’s entrance, I was soaked and shivering. I took a deep breath and opened the door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Lorey’s POV**

I heard the familiar jingle of the door opening. I looked up from my desk to find a little girl, who had collapsed on the floor in a small heap. She was soaked from the rain outside and breathing heavily, giving me the impression that she ran to the tower. I got up and walked over to the poor girl but as I tried to comfort her, she flinched away from my touch and started crying. I had no idea what had happened to her up to that point, but I knew it couldn’t be good. I’d never dealt with kids and I had no idea how to get her to calm down. That was when the light bulb went off in my head. I could get Maria down to the lobby because I was sure she’d be able to help this kid better than I could. 

I walked over to my desk, leaving the girl alone since I couldn’t do anything to help her. I picked up the phone and dialed Maria’s office number. It rang twice before I heard her annoyed voice on the other end.

“You’d better have a damn good reason for calling me,” she stated.

“Well, there’s a situation down here…check your monitors,” I told her. I heard a couple clicks in the background then a moment of silence. 

“I’ll be down in a moment,” she sighed reluctantly. There was a click and I hung up the phone. I didn’t know how long her "moment" was, so I walked back over to the girl to at least keep her company. I just hoped Maria would hurry.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kine is a somewhat old-fashioned and derogatory term used by Kindred to refer to mortals, referring specifically to the living as the herd upon which they feed
> 
> A Ghoul is a mortal who has drank Kindred blood
> 
> (Source: White Wolf Wiki)

**Maria’s POV**

After I’d hung up the phone, I dismissed my ghoul from my office. The little girl was a more pressing matter especially since she was Kine. I had no idea how she knew about this place. I took the stairs instead of the elevator since it would be a lot faster. Even though the penthouse of my tower was twenty floors up from the lobby, I still made good time on the stairs. It took five minutes to get to the ground floor rather than a solid fifteen by elevator.

When I walked into the lobby, the sight of the little girl curled up on the floor greeted me. I heard her crying, interrupted only by the occasional hiccup. As I started to approach her, Lorey got up from beside her and walked over to me.

“She doesn’t like physical contact…I don’t know why, but she flinched away when I placed my hand on her back. I thought you might know what to do,” she explained.

“Well, I’m not sure myself…but I can try to calm her down. I might be forced to use Dominate if I can’t get her to calm down naturally,” I replied.

I walked over to the girl and knelt beside her. I placed my hand on her shoulder and she flinched away from my touch, just like she had with Lorey. I noticed the pack located beside her, so I decided to go through it. I hoped to find something that could help calm her down. I pulled out a small giraffe plush then closed the pack. I set the giraffe beside her, hoping it might have some effect. She took the plush, clutching it to her chest almost as if her life depended on it. 

It was then I noticed that she was shivering. I was about to call Lorey over, but she was already beside me with a small blanket. I took the blanket and draped it over the girl’s shivering body. Her cries eventually died down to a slight whimpering. 

“Hey, it’s okay…” I said softly. “I won’t hurt you. I just want to help.”

“Promise?” she asked.

“I promise,” I replied.

She lifted her head, allowing me to see her face. Her blue eye was red from crying, her raven black hair obscured the other. Her eye was still glossy with the threat of tears. She had the look of a prisoner, with bruises on her face and a desperate look in her eye. A gold gleam caught my attention and I saw she wore a necklace. 

“What’s your name?” I asked, still using a soft tone.

“Dimitri Nacht,” she replied. “Are you Maria?”

“I am…why do you ask?”

She solemnly handed me a note addressed to me. I opened it and saw that it was in Collin’s handwriting. It read:

_“Maria,_   
_If you’re seeing this, you probably know what it means. I hope you didn’t forget the promise you made me a while back. Just as a refresher, you promised to take care of Mitri if something was to ever happen to me. I know you’re probably regretting that decision. But, right now, she needs someone to care for her. Please, show her the teddy bear that I know is somewhere inside you. I understand you’re busy most the time, but I have faith in you._

_Your Loyal Hunter, Collin_  
 _P.S. Make sure she meets Alicia ASAP. I have a feeling that the two of them will get along quite nicely.”_  
  
“Dimitri, can I see your necklace?” I asked, before gently adding, “You don’t need to take it off, I just want to see what it is.”

She reluctantly lifted the necklace out of her shirt. A gold ankh hung on the end of it. I recognized it almost immediately. It was the same one I’d given Collin when he first started hunting Sabbat. It was the only confirmation I needed. He was gone. Lorey saw the necklace and a soft sob escaped her. Dimitri looked around to find the source and when she saw Lorey, she slowly slipped behind me to hide herself.

“Why is there a Lasombra in your tower?” she asked softly. 

“She’s a friend…wait, how did you know she’s a Lasombra?” I asked. I wanted to test her knowledge, to truly see if she was Collin’s daughter; even though she had his necklace.

“She doesn’t cast a reflection on the floor. That’s a dead giveaway,” she stated. “Plus, if my instincts are correct, you’re the Prince, since you live in a fancy tower…which means that you’re also a Ventrue.”

“You’re really good…” I mused. She proved that she was his daughter. She had not only his knowledge but his intuition and attitude as well. 

“I know,” she replied with a hint of pride. “But I still don’t understand how we can trust a Lasombra. I thought the Sabbat are evil beings.”

“Lorey is what’s known as an Antitribu. I’m sure you’ve heard of those, right?” I asked, and she nodded in reply. 

“But Lasombra Antitribu are almost unheard of. The few that are out there mostly keep to themselves…how is she any different?”

“Lorey is different because she’s a close friend of mine. That’s why she’s here,” I explained, trying my hardest to keep an even tone. I was more than a little annoyed with Dimitri at this point, even though I knew she was just a child. 

I looked behind me and noticed that she was sitting next to me, gently leaning against my arm. I instantly realized that she’d fallen asleep when I saw her grip on the plush had loosened. I stood up and sighed as I reluctantly picked up the now sleeping girl. I grabbed her pack before walking over to the elevator. I pressed the PH button, which would take us to the penthouse. As the elevator ascended, I looked out to see the glowing city below me. The view never ceased to amaze me, especially when cars were abundant on the streets.

Once we reached the top, I walked into the guest room then set her on the bed and her pack beside it. I tucked her in, using a different blanket than the one she had before. I checked the time and saw that it was close to dawn. I quietly left the room, closing the door behind me. I knew she needed her rest, just as I needed mine. I walked into my room and got into bed. I fell asleep just as the sky was starting to lighten in color.


	10. Chapter 10

**Dimitri’s POV**

I woke up the next evening in an unfamiliar bed that was in an unfamiliar room. Yet I had familiar things like my small giraffe and Father’s black leather rucksack. The contents of which were his notebooks, my art supplies, and what little clothing I had. Being in an unfamiliar situation is scary, especially for a little kid. I couldn’t recall the previous night, and I was scared shitless, to say the least. I almost jumped out of my skin when there was a sudden knock at the door. A voice spoke from behind it.

“Dimitri?” it asked. “Are you awake?” 

I recognized the voice and knew it belonged to Maria. But I was still confused as to why she was talking to me. That was when the events of the previous night came rushing back to me. I fought the urge to cry. I was afraid that if I started crying again, I would never be able to stop.

“Yes, I’m awake…did you need me for something?”

She opened the door and shut it behind her before walking over to me. She sat on the edge of the bed and I could just barely see the shadow of a smile playing across her face. 

“I wanted to make sure you were okay…especially since you seemed a bit shaken last night,” she explained softly. I could hear the genuine kindness in her voice.

“I’m okay…” I replied quietly, looking down at my hands. I didn’t fully trust her, even though Father said I could. She was trying her hardest to be gentle and kind. Yet, in a way, she still seemed cold and distant. 

“I made a promise to your father…” she paused a moment before continuing, “that I’d take care of you if anything ever happened to him…and that’s what I’m planning to do. I don’t know what happened to you until now, but I want you to know that, whatever it was, it won’t happen here.”

“So, you promise not to let R-Raven touch me ever again?” I asked, and she looked at me, confused as to who I was talking about. A heartbeat later, realization flickered in her gaze. 

“Raven is your mother, right?”

I nodded in reply before I looked up at her, meeting her gaze and I noticed the compassion in her eyes. At that moment I realized that she wanted to help me, not harm me. I was still a little scared of her since I was still trying to get used to my new surroundings.

“I promise I won’t let Raven get near you ever again for the rest of my days. I won’t let her take you away from me,” she said in a low, serious tone. A spark of rage briefly appeared in her cold green eyes. 

“Th-Thank you…” I said, and a small smile crept its way on her face. Suddenly, her watch started to emit a small beep. She tapped on the small screen, silencing the alarm.

“I need to go…duty calls,” she sighed as she got up. “I trust you won’t make a mess while I’m gone?”

I nodded as I got up to retrieve my pack. I pulled out my sketchbook and pencil case as I started to work on a new doodle. Maria walked out of my room, shutting the door behind her. I lost myself in my drawing before I fell back asleep only hours later.


	11. Chapter 11

**Dimitri’s POV**

It took me a week to familiarize myself with the layout of my new home. In that time, Maria had told me where I wasn’t allowed to go. I stayed away from those places because there was a part of me that was scared to find out what she’d do if I disobeyed her. She let me explore the tower instead of showing me around. I realized it was a sign that she trusted me. 

I spent a couple days socializing with her ghouls. Not only was I getting to know them, but I was gathering data. Father had never been able to really study any type of Ghoul, so I created a new journal and carried on his studies. They loved the stories I would tell. Some were actual stories that I remembered from my books. But I mostly made up stories, telling of faraway lands filled with all kinds of wondrous things. It aided me in coping with the anxiety and trauma I had.

One night, Maria came into my room while I was working in my sketchbook. She sat on my bed as I started coloring my doodle.

“Taking a break?” I asked her, and I saw her nod out of the corner of my eye. She occasionally came into my room to take a break in between her meetings or from filling out paperwork.

“I have something special planned for tomorrow,” she said with a mischievous tone.

“Do tell,” I said, not looking up from my drawing.

“I know how curious you are about Kindred. Though you’ve read your father’s journals, you want to know more. So, I’ve contacted one member from the five other Clans. One will come each day and show you how their powers work.”

I set my pencil down and turned to face her. I could feel excitement bubbling up inside me as a small smile spread on my face. It took me a moment before I could speak.

“Thank you for helping me,” I calmly replied before going back to my doodle. We sat in the silent company of each other for a while before she went back to work. I decided to head to bed after she left. I had an exciting evening tomorrow and I wanted to be well rested.


	12. Chapter 12

**Dimitri’s POV**

The next evening, I was awoken by a soft knock on my door. I groaned and covered my head with a pillow. It was too early in the evening to get up. I heard Maria’s voice from the other side of the door.

“Dimitri, you need to get up. Alicia will be here in an hour and I would like you to be ready when she gets here,” she stated, “I will not hesitate to come in there and get you out of bed.”

“Okay,” I sighed and rolled out of bed. I walked over to the dresser and opened the drawers. I donned my light gray dress and my white knee-high socks. I grabbed my brush and turned my bedhead into black silk. Maria walked in a moment later and nodded in approval.

“You should do something with your hair…maybe braid it or something,” she mused but I shook my head.

“I like my hair down. It looks pretty,” I said with a giggle. She chuckled and let the smile linger on her face. Suddenly, her watch buzzed. She checked it and sighed.

“What’s wrong? Could she not make it?” I asked, and she shook her head in reply.

“Quite the opposite. In fact, she’s on her way up now,” she answered. “I should warn you, she can be a bit delusional at times. Though that’s to be expected of a Malkavian.”

I nodded and sat on my bed. I took out my sketchbook and crossed my legs before setting it in my lap. I closed my eyes and just let my hand glide across the page. As I sketched, I felt the bed sink down a little more. I knew that Maria had sat down beside me, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was getting the drawing done before Alicia arrived. If I was interrupted, the picture in my head would be gone. Even then it was slowly fading away. When my hand came to a stop, I opened my eyes. I looked down at the page to find my father staring back at me with a warm smile on his face. I felt tears well in my eyes and Maria gently squeezed my shoulder.

"I miss him too," she murmured in an attempt to comfort me.

A sudden knock startled me out of my daze. Maria got up and opened it. She went out into the hall and closed the door for a moment. I put my sketchbook back in the satchel and wiped away my tears before sitting back down. I quickly covered my black eye with my hair. I always did so when meeting new people so I wouldn’t startle them. A moment later, Maria walked in and stepped aside so Alicia could enter. 

I will not lie, I was terrified when I first saw her. Her wild white hair was like a lion’s mane. Her gaze hinted at the madness trapped in her head. Black mascara streaks under her eyes gave the impression that she’d been crying for a very long time. Yet her presence felt comforting, like a mother. 

“What might your name be, Little One?” she asked in a thick French accent. Her words flowed so smoothly I had to resist the urge to doze off. 

“My name is Dimitri Nacht,” I replied meekly.

“Forgive me for asking, but why are you here? Did something happen to Collin?” She asked me. I looked at Maria and she sighed.

“Collin died during his last hunting trip…it was an attack on a Sabbat nest. Dimitri’s here because I promised Collin I’d take care of her if something ever happened to him.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said with a dejected tone. There was a brief period of silence before Maria spoke.

“Shall we get back to the task at hand?”

“Right,” she nodded before shaking her head to clear her thoughts. “Let’s start off simple. What disciplines do I have? Remember, I’m a Malkavian.”

I had to think for a moment. I knew that she had Dementation and Obfuscate, but I couldn’t remember the other one. So, I did the only thing a sensible person would do. I took a guess.

“You have Dementation, Obfuscate, and Auspex,” I stated with confidence.

“You got all three correct. You’ve studied a great deal, haven’t you?”

“I have studied every word in those journals,” I replied with pride.

“I assume you want to see how Obfuscation works,” she mused, and she was right. I had read about it over and over, but I’d been dying to see how it worked.

“Can you show me that first, please?”

“Very well then. Close your eyes, it’ll work better if you do,” she instructed. I did as she said and when I opened them a moment later, she’d disappeared into thin air.

“I know you’re still here…but where?”

“I’m still in front of you. But you can’t see me because I convinced your mind that I’m not here. That’s why you can’t see me.” 

I immediately pulled out my journal and opened to the page where Father had written down Obfuscate. I put a dash next to the word and described how it worked. I put the journal back in the satchel afterward and Alicia had reappeared in front of me. 

“That’s a really cool perk, especially if you’re trying to be stealthy…though I don’t understand why the Nosferatu and Malkavian bloodlines share that Discipline,” I thought aloud. Maria looked at me and chuckled.

“That’s a very good question, Dimitri. But I don’t think it will ever be answered,” Alicia mused.

“I know…but I can’t help being curious. It’s part of human nature!” I protested.

“No need to get worked up,” she chuckled. “Now I can’t really show you Auspex, but I can show you Dementation. If that’s okay with the Prince,” she added quickly as she looked over at Maria.

“Absolutely _not_ in my presence. I would prefer not being affected by the Discipline,” she answered in a polite, but stern, tone. Almost as if on cue, her watch alarm went off. 

“You gotta go?” I asked nervously. The last thing I wanted was to be left alone with Alicia. But as Maria nodded, I accepted the fact that I had no say in the matter.

“I want you to behave please…that goes for both of you,” she said as she glanced at Alicia.

“Okay! Don’t forget to take a break every so often,” I called after her as she exited the room. I took a deep breath as she shut the door behind her. 

“Then there were two,” Alicia chuckled, and I giggled nervously. I felt fear start to knot my stomach, but my heart somehow stayed steady.

“So, about the Dementation…can you do it for a quick second? I just want enough time so that I can write about it.”

“Of course,” she said, “I wasn’t going to do it for long anyways. Just let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll show you my power.” 

I took a deep breath before nodding. She used her discipline almost immediately after I nodded. Voices filled my head to the point to where I thought I had gone mad. They stopped as suddenly as they had started. I shook my head to clear my thoughts before pulling out the Malkavian journal. I flipped through the pages until I found the one where Father had written Dementation. I wrote a dash and described how the discipline worked. I put the journal back in the satchel before yawning.

“You should get some rest, Little One,” she said as a soft smile appeared on her face. The gentleness in her tone made her words flow even smoother than before. Again, I could feel my fear melting away. I couldn’t say anything in reply, so I just nodded. 

I laid down on my bed and curled up under my covers. I held my small giraffe close to my chest. My fear had completely vanished by this point. It had been replaced with the fuzziness of sleep

“Will you stay with me?” I asked drowsily. 

“Of course, I’ll stay with you, Little One. I doubt you’d want to be left alone this late at night.”

She was right. I hated being left alone when I was sleepy. It was just an instinctual thing at that age. I was beginning to have all kinds of nightmares as well. This meant that some nights I didn’t get enough sleep. But that night I knew I’d get a dreamless sleep. My fuzzy brain registered her humming a lullaby. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it vaguely sounded like Alouette. Her humming flowed just like her voice which only increased the fuzziness in my head. I slowly drifted into sleep until I could hear her voice no more.


	13. Epilogue

I lived in Maria’s tower until I was ten. That was when she helped me find a place for me to live on my own. The place I lived was my old home in the outskirts of the city. I hoped that helped you understand what I’ve gone through. Please keep in mind that this happened many years ago and I don't need your sympathy.


End file.
